SANJOSEGAL

Hello everyone on this very rainy Thursday morning in Northern Cal. Janice you are a very lucky woman getting a dozen red roses from your sweetheart.

Carol I have a question for you I was thinking of staying a few days after our cruise in Orlando and visiting one of the amusement parks. Do you have any recommendations on a hotel near enough to the airport and Disney World? Of course the more information the better so this question applies to any of you that have done this.

Also Carol thanks for the tips on visiting the Lodi area.

Yvonne you should be commended! We moved from a three bedroom 2 car garage into a 2 bedroom 1 car garage and I had to get rid of so many things. I know I am a pack rat but an organized one...however, now that we moved I don't know where a number of things are anymore. I bet your garage is very organized!

 

Enjoy the weather tomorrow as it is supposed to get wintry again. FYI, I almost called you at work Friday afternoon...

 

Hey Janice you should have called me on Friday I worked till 6 and it was pretty slow. I'm off tomorrow then I work Tues-Sat for the next few weeks.

 

Well some say I'm organized yet when I look around and see stuff stacking up I don't feel so organized. Honestly the stuff we collected through the years raising this family seems to no longer be needed. I honestly can't imagine using all this camping equipment yet I hang onto it because I think well the kids might want it one day. Then all their memorabilia from their rooms is stacked up in buckets. I don't have the heart to get rid of it though its hard to think that their wives would be thrilled to see what's in those boxes. Anyway we made huge headway in that garage thanks to my hubby. It is a two car garage yet we installed cabinets on both walls so it is now only a one car garage. When I say two car garage it would have been a very tight fit for sure. My neighbor squeezes his two cars in with not a inch to spare and you could eat off floor in his garage.

 

I can't remember if I mentioned to you gals about this thread I subscribed to on Southwest. It talks about Early Bird check in and if its worth it. Here is a link just in case you are interested. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=27922034#post27922034

For our cruises I always use the Early Bird check in especially since our flights to Florida are so long I want a good seat.

 

Today my niece has a play at Santa Clara University so I'm being a good Auntie and attending. I hope you all have a beautiful Sunday.

 

Yvonne

Carol and Yvonne, I learned something new yesterday regarding SWA.

 

When I came home I looked at the existing fares for our future flight: SJC to GSP and they were high. An hour later I wanted to check something out and the fares were lower so I booked Patrick's ticket; I had a free one to book.

 

Anyhow, when I came home from a dinner with a good friend (2 hrs later) I went in to book my flight and saw that the fares had shot up again. Plus the outbound flight that I had Patrick on was unavailable...during the course of deciding what to do I saw another option close up and said unavailable. SO I selected an earlier outbound flight and had to adjust Patrick's original booking. Fortunately it was the same price.

 

Today I saw the same thing in a matter of hours...I thought the fares changed daily not hourly!

 

I have lots and lots of chores to do today so I will make this short. I usually check my flights on Southwest everyday to see if our rate has gone down. After reading your post I think I better check a few times a day. So remember I told you we are flying to Arizona in May to visit my sister well this morning I check and the price dropped $44 total. Yahoo that's on top of the $12 drop last week. So keep checking your flights. I'm still hoping my flight to Orlando has a sudden drop one day. :)

 

We have been neglecting our garage since before Christmas so today is the day. You know those last few Xmas decorations that somehow got missed. Then I walked into CVS one day weeks after Xmas and they still had Xmas wrap and now it was 75% off so of course I bought some. Well time to get organized though my hubby is not too happy about it. He said its going to be 74 at the beach (hint, hint). Hey I like to have a good time on my weekends but eventually things need to get done. It drives me crazy to open the garage door and see stuff stacked up. After raising 4 kids I should be use to stuff stacked up but now I'm ready for some order in my life. Wish me luck :).

 

Carol I've never stopped in Lodi yet listening to you talk about it maybe we need to stop by for lunch and a glass of wine. Also Phillips Farm its funny most tourist just driving by probably would not know about all these hidden gems especially that blueberry peach pie YUMMY.

We have not been lucky enough to visit Charleston, SC. How about New Orleans have you ladies gone to Burbon Street? I'll bet you have. What did you think? We went around 5 years ago at the end of February. This was about a week after Mardi Gras you could still see lots of beads on roof tops from our hotel. The hotel we stayed at was the Royal Sonesta right on Burbon Street. We had those typical French doors leading out to our lace balcony. We toured the whole town and even took a boat trip down the bayou. We were so lucky because the weather was amazing not too hot, not too much humidty. We hit most the spots all the tourist go and loved every minute of it. Though I will say staying on Burbon Street was very noisy, they party all night long and the minute the party stops the street sweepers arrive and it starts all over again. Yet we really go the feel of Burbon Street.

Janice I think the reason why the price on your flights is coming up high is because its so close to the actual day you want to fly. I'm not sure when you booked but you know how it is supply and demand. See I booked my flight for Sept yesterday I will keep a eye on the price and if it drops I'm on it. The best flights at the lowest prices always go first. I booked my flight for Arizona on Dec 1st for May. So far that one has only dropped $14.

My sister is a travel agent so she helps me with some of my bookings.

Hey Carol it is super easy to change your reservation on SW if you find a cheaper flight. I usually am not this tight but yesterday I checked my flight to Arizona that I booked a while ago and the rate had gone down $14. At the top of the SW home page put your mouse over air, when the drop down menu opens choose change reservation. I usually have researched already which flight I want that is now cheaper. Once you complete all the information it will show a credit and that must be used I believe within one year. I figured that will cover my Early Bird payment so I went for it. I also changed my Orlando flight 3 times yesterday because I could not decide on what time and day I wanted to arrive.

 

So tomorrow I am also meeting with some of my school classmates. I laughed so hard when you mentioned the secret circle of friends because we have that too. Its so hard to get away with this like one time we accidentally said something like lets get together and go to dinner again. Sure enough one of the ladies not in the secret circle was all over it. She was like when did you girls go to dinner blah blah blah. We tried to cover it up YIKES hate to make anyone feel left out. Sometimes the group just gets too big and its hard to talk intimately.

 

Hi Janice :)

 

 

Carol and Janice thanks for all the information on Morro Bay. When the kids were young we use to stay in a hotel in Atascadero. We would visit this little zoo, eat at Apple Farm, and let the kids swim in the pool all day. Sometimes the guys would go fishing while my sister and I sat by pool. We have not been back to that area in at least 20 years. We've been to Hearst Castle a few times maybe we should go back one day. It's funny how our perspective changes as we get older. The reason why I asked you about Morro Bay was because of your posts I thought maybe I had missed something.

 

I've only driven by Mt. Madonna Inn it does sound kinda kooky.

 

Carol I know all about bunions my Mom had her's done twice. The last time she bit the bullet and had both feet done at the same time. She's a trooper she lives alone and rarely needed anything. My sister also had her's removed. Luckily I have never had this problem.

I hope Narce is up and about soon.

 

Today Southwest opened their Sept reservations. We usually fly on American yet we are so tired of paying for luggage I thought I'd book SW. This morning one of my friends from Texas sent me a text at 4:30 AM reminding to book my flights. I woke up turned on my computer and booked them. There really were not very many flights being offered for the day we wanted to fly. It cost $149 per person one way SJC to Orlando with a one stop. I also like that I can change our flights on SW and I could not on American.

 

Hi everyone I just read back a few posts and laughed pretty good at the boat story. We also had a boat and a Sea Doo one day my girlfriend and I decided to launch the Sea Doo ourselves. Once I backed it into the water she got on started it up, put it into reverse, and it would not move the back end just was going back and forth. Of course all these men were standing there watching us. OMG I look down and its still attached to the trailer at the front. Talk about embarrassing.

I have a question for you I was thinking about taking a drive to Morro Bay with the hubby. Can you tell me where you stayed and any more interesting things about Morro Bay?

My sister also went to see the Beatles when they were at Candlestick. She left with nylons on and returned with them torn and shredded to pieces. I remember how jealous I was that she got to go though she was a teenager and I was still in elementary school.

We shared a room and all she played was beatles records so of course to this day I love their songs. Especially their LOVE cd.

We drove to Discovery Bay yesterday to watch the game and OMG what a beautiful day it was. Driving on Vasco Rd at one point the sky was so clear I could see snow in the far distance on the mountain top.

Carol I've been meaning to ask you what's wrong with Narce foot/toe?

Yvonne

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]I'm back we were in Arnold in that rented cabin with the family.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Amazing 4500+ square feet, 6 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms cabin that is. My daughter in-law rented it. Everything was beautiful the weather when we arrived on Friday was 71 degrees. After unpacking we drove to a snow park and the kids played for a few hours. On Saturday we went to Big Trees State Park and set up a picnic in the snow. We also did the park tour which was over 3 miles winding through the most amazing trees you have ever seen. We did this[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]in the su[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]mmer also [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]the different seasons really made it even more wonderful to experience and breath in that fresh air. The cabin had a outdoor fire pit so every night we sat outside with a roaring fire telling stories. It really was a perfect trip till Sunday morning when we woke up to a winter wonderland. Up to that point we had no snow at the cabin. This is where the story turns bad the driveway to this amazing cabin was extremely [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]steep which meant driving down it with no chains on [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]our[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3] cars was like sleding down a hill. End of the story we did make it down sliding most the way into the main roadway. [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]A late congratualtions Carol on your 35th Anniversary that is a true testament to a true commitment. It takes two people that can and are willing to be very flexib[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]le because as we all know there are many curves in the road of life. This April we will be celebrating our 33rd anniversary so Carol I understand we are blessed. [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Time to get back to work thanks for remembering me when I was gone. :)[/SIZE][/FONT]

Thanks for the good well wishes I felt much better this morning yet that little headache is still there. I finally tried Nyquil last night to help me sleep and boy did I sleep. So I have the Famous Dave virus :cool:. Janice I hope your footsies are warmer. By the way I went home early yesterday also only I left work at Noon. So you are into Probiotics? I have started taking them also. Where do you get yours? I bought mine at Whole Foods.

Thank you for the welcome Char I would love to meet you all in person either on a cruise or for lunch. So you will be cruising on the Carnival Freedom that's great. We sailed on the Freedom Sept 2009 and that is where I meet the greatest group on CC. We are having our reunion cruise in Sept of this year on the Carnival Dream. If you have any questions on the Freedom just let me know unless of course you've sailed on that ship already. Char where did you get that cool mini map for your next cruise?

Carol as far as your next cruise I have only been to St. Thomas we ended up on St. John/Trunk Bay it was a bit of work to get there yet well worth it. We will be going there on our next cruise too only this time we booked a private catamaran for our group. I know this is a shot in the dark yet I might as well ask you a friend of mine lives in Antioch too her name is Mary Anne Barreiro does that ring a bell? Hey don't ask don't know.

Yvonne

[quote name='barnismom'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5][COLOR=magenta]Carol & Char,[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5][COLOR=magenta]That was so much fun and then the evening afterwards too! [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Janice what does barnismom stand for?[/SIZE][/FONT] [SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS]

[/FONT][/SIZE] [FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Carol what is your itinerary for your next cruise? I read back over this whole thread one long day at work when I was bored and thought you originally were booked on another cruise[/SIZE][/FONT].

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]I never get sick yet I have something going on a weird annoying headache[/SIZE][/FONT]. [FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Worst when I lean down like to tie my shoes. No other symptoms all I can think of is its some type of virus. Everyone else out there feeling OK?
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Work is very slow so I started reading back over some of our posts and noticed Janice that you are going on the Allure in Sept. The only port I've been to on your itinerary is Cozumel we went to Nachi Cocum and loved it do you have a excursion booked and have you been there before? [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Yvonne[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Good Monday everyone I'm sorry its looking pretty slim that I will be able to meet you all for your luncheon. Unfortunately May is not going to work with two holidays Mother's Day and Memorial Day. Also I have a trip planned to Arizona 12th - 16th. Please don't change your plans for me my work schedule is a pain and there is no flexability with changing it. This is about it for me March 12th or 16th, April 2nd, June's schedule is not out yet. Please, please go with what's convenient for you all I just barely met you. Though you do sound like the nicest people I really feel a connection. [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Janice thanks for posting that photo, wow so professional with the camera crew in front of you. We did make it over to Famous Dave's on Saturday and we loved it. We were seated in the bar and the music was blaring yet for some reason we did not mind. I think since it was just Don and myself we enjoyed the up beat mood. They also had a few [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]appetizer specials advertised in the bar that are not available in the dining room. We ordered the Feast for Two which was a little of everything and all I can say is YUMMY. We ended up bringing half of it home which our boys quickly devoured. If I had one complaint it was the wait for our food once we ordered it took about 30 minutes. Luckily we did not have to wait long for a table since we went to dinner around 5:30. I joined the PIG club so they sent me a free dessert coupon YIPPI. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]As for what its like to cruise on different cruise [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]lines I really can't say since we've only cruised on Carnival. I really need to try another cruise l[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]ine just to see if the clientel are different. I hear things like sometimes t[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]he people are too formal and stuck up. Or recently someone wrote that on his cruise he felt like he was at work everyone was walking around with a mission. No crazy deck parties at night. So where is the balance I like a little bit of class in the guests that are on board with me yet I also like just being myself which is pretty kick back. I d[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]on't wear a formal gown to dinner [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]and my husband does not own a tux. We prefer a nice dress and suit for my hubby. [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]So what has been your experience on the ship lines you have cruised on? and what do you like to do while on board? [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Carol really 30 cruises Wow you do love cruising you must be a expert and know every trick in the book. I wish I could go with you on your next cruise. I think its so sweet that you are taking your nephew and his bride on a cruise. My oldest sister never had children so her and her husband have treated my kids like theirs.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]She sounds just like you she's taken them to Hawaii and various other vacations she's Auntie Annette. We took one of our son's and his girlfriend on our last cruise in Sept 2010 it was her first cruise and she loved it. She loves to eat and you know there is a lot to eat on a cruise. Actually there is a link to the photos from that cruise at the bottom of my post. [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Janice when did you say your next cruise is? I thought I remembered someone saying they are cruising in Sept. besides me.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Its lunch time for me so I will sign off for now. Have a great day even if it is Monday.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Hi girls and Frank I would love to meet you all for lunch in May. I rotate working Saturdays so in May I off May 28th which is after Carol's cruise. This working Saturdays just started this month for the first time since I starting working here 7 years ago and it is no fun. [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Janice sounds like we need to try Famous Daves out maybe even tonight. I hope you hit a jackpot at Redhawk.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]By the way I would love to try out another cruise line sometime so if you start putting something together let me know. Of course just not this September since we are booked on the Dream. [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Well its time for me to hit the road home so I hope you all have been enjoying this beautiful day. [/SIZE][/FONT]

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[SIZE=3]I am jumping around here - our next cruise is sailing from Pt Canaveral too and we have never been there so it'll be a first for us - [/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3]Carol this will be our first time cruising out of Port Canaveral also. Many of us just booked our hotel rooms at the Radisson Resort at the Port [URL]http://www.radisson.com/cape-canaveral-hotel-fl-32920/flcocoa/meetings[/URL] someone in our group found a discount code CarlsonF which worked great when we booked. It actually is for friends and family of people who work for Carlson long story short after someone posted this information I realized my sister works for Carlson so if you need a name you can use Lisa Arens. So here is the rate we got...... some of the first people who used it got a rate of $88.00 a night for a regular room. By the time I found out and tried it the only thing that came up was a 2 room suite with jacuzzi tub for $109.00 which I was fine with. This includes a free shuttle to the port. Another option is we booked a block of rooms though the rate was not as good as this discount code. Another great thing about all this is you do not have to pay in advance and you can cancel if necessary. I hope this helps with your planning. Luckily many in our group have cruised out of this port and some live pretty close so they have lots of helpful information. Our next decision is how we will get from the airport to the hotel shuttle? rent a car? It all just depends on what flights we all get. Oh well we have lots of time to figure this all out I am just a obsessive planner. [/SIZE]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]I don't know where to begin so I guess I will just jump in. First of all that Puerto Rican Restaurant looked amazing I think it calls for a day trip to San Rafael it looks like its about a hour from SJ. We took a cruise that left from Puerto Rico so we decided to spent some time in San Juan. We visited a few restaurants that were mentioned on the Rachael Ray $40 a day show and fell in love with Puerto Rican food. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Our next cruise leaves from Port Canaveral on Sept 10th on one of Carnivals newest ships the Dream. This cruise was more about re-connecting with our friends then the actual itinerary. On our last cruise we decided to try out a AFT cabin and fell in love with it so again we booked a AFT cabin. We actually have a whole row of cabins on the AFT booked with some of our group. The dividers open so we will be having one heck of a party at least one of the days.

Janice I love the photo you posted where was that taken it looks so familiar to me. It looks like St Lucia maybe :cool:. I just checked out that link I posted on the Oasis and it did not seem to show what I was looking for. I need to spend a little more time I was rushing to dinner. Since you were all talking about food I will mention that we ate in Japan town at Minatos a small family owned restaurant that has pretty yummy food. Have a blast at Red Hawk and hope you get lucky. We were in Vegas in October for our twin boys 21st birthday. We are not big gamblers so we were pretty happy to walk away with a $250 jackpot. [/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Carol aren't you sweet my son is 27 and just got married this year (2009) in Maui. It was the most amazing wedding it was just immediate family hers and ours. It was held at the Grand Wailea we were lucky enough to stay there for the week. Overall the cost probably compared to having a big wedding back home. This way we all got a great vacation in addition to a wedding. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS]As far as Filipino food goes the only thing I've had is Lumpia and I love it. [/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS]A fellow cruise friend said that Southwest will open their reservations for Sept starting on Feb 8th in case you didn't know. Our last cruise left from Miami though we flew into Ft. Lauderdale and took a shuttle to Miami. Our 2009 cruise left from Ft. Lauderdale. We usually go a day or two early and stay one night on the return. I always book our hotel rooms on Priceline and have been lucky to get some great hotel rooms for a very reasonable rate. On the return of our last cruise we stayed in Ft Lauderdale at the W hotel for $98 a night. Wow was that fun since it was a holiday weekend they had a big pool party planned with a DJ. The crowd was much younger than us yet we really had a great time. I felt like I was on a MTV show watching all these young guys and gals in the pool.

Like usual I am chatting way too much so I will sign off for tonight. So glad tomorrow is TGIF and aren't we lucky to have such beautiful weather.


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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Hello Northern California cruisers here in San Jose its a beautiful clear day just a bit chilly.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Carol so you are originally from the Isleton area we actually seem to frequently drive near that area. We love to visit the lakes in the area, Murphy's and of course like I said before a little snow time. We have a cabin booked in Arnold next week for a little down time. Our son and his wife bought a home in Discovery Bay last year and love the area just not the commute on Vasco Rd. We recently started eating at Texas Roadhouse wow is that food good. The place can get a little noisy yet the food is worth it. I was wondering if your sign on MOUNTAINHOUSE had anything to do with the exit off 580............The Baltics sound amazing can't wait to hear all about your trip when you return.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Janice I love the idea of going on a maiden voyage so you are a celebrity wow I had no idea. I try to record any shows on cruising and I love the Discovery Channel. I wonder if that show would repeat I will keep my eyes open Mighty Ships. I did a Google search and this came up only I can't open it here at work. I will do it at home so how do I recognize you?[/SIZE][/FONT]

[url]http://watch.discoverychannel.ca/mighty-ships-/mighty-ships-season-3/mighty-ship[/url] s-oasis-of-the-seas/

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Time to get back to work I hope you all have a wonderful day in beautiful California. [/SIZE][/FONT]

Hello Yvonne!

 

My husband and I grew up in Palo Alto (moi) and Menlo Park. We moved to San Jose in 2009 when we bought our condo in the Cambrian Park area.

 

The location could not be more perfect as we can easily get onto 85 & 17 which leads to 101 or 280...notice how I did not say "the 101". It is funny but that's how you can differentiate a Northern Californian from a Southern Californian.

 

Yvonne we have met wonderful cruise friends via Cruise Critic (thank you CC) and the sharing of information is helpful too. Perhaps we can connect sometime. We love cruising but also love our land trips too and Hawaii is a favorite;helps to live on the West Coast.

 

Thanks for posting and enjoy the rest of the weekend! We are heading out to Santana Row for dinner tonight!

 

Thanks for the warm welcome it sounds like you all had a wonderful time getting know each other on this forum. I'm sure you have some great memories of past cruises.

I feel funny calling you barnismom I don't know your name I'm sure you understand. So you grew up in Palo Alto well guess where I work Palo Alto. I work at a Mecedes Benz dealership called Park Avenue Motors we are a part of Smythe European. Its located near Page Mill and El Camino Real. My son works near where you live he works at Pasta Pomodoro on Camden between Union and Bascom. We love to go to Santana Row for dinner and to the movies. After I worked on Saturday we drove to our son's home in Discovery Bay for the night. Sunday morning we drove for the day to play in the snow near Bear Valley. We drove in thick fog all the way till Angels Camp then the sky was crystal blue. Once we got to the snow park it was so hot we had to shed off a few layers. We set up a nice lunch which included wine and cheese. It was a beautiful way to spend a Sunday.

 

FYI our group just took advantage of making our own friends forum on CC. We were able to pull over our past cruise threads. Here are all the details in case any of you are interested in doing the same thing. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1212929

 

Here is the link to our page showing our currently booked cruise and our original cruise The Freedom 2009 where I met the group. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=699

 

Time for me to go to lunch so I'll catch you all later.

 

Yvonne

Well Hello barnismom I subscribed to this thread a very long time ago so I was surprised to get a email showing someone posted. My real surprise came when I read where you live since I too live in San Jose. This is the first time since I joined CC that I've come across someone living in my hometown. I was born and raised here and live on the North side near Berryessa & 680.

 

My husband and I took up cruising just a few years ago. Since we both still work we only are able to cruise once a year. As much as I love to cruise I must admit I do like to take other vacations also. We usually rent a cabin in the mountains during snow season. We also love to fly over to the Hawaiian islands when possible.

 

In 2009 we booked a cruise and I logged onto the thread for our cruise and met the most amazing group of people. You know how sometimes your thread for your upcoming cruise either flows or doesn't. I have been on two other cruises and communicated with the people and it went no where. The Carnival Freedom 2009 cruise thread was amazing we all hit it off and to this day are very good friends. We tried to book a reunion cruise last year only many could not make it. This year we have our reunion cruise booked on the Carnival Dream Sept 10th.

 

I'm usually not so chatty its just that I am stuck at work on a Saturday and its really slow so I took the opportunity to share a little about myself I hope you don't mind.

 

Its such a beautiful day in San Jose today I hope you have the opportunity to get out and enjoy the sunshine.

it's hot and breezy here = was out watering our shrubs and it was really hot - loved getting wet too -

 

Maybe San Jose isn't as bad as it is out here --

 

Carol

 

This is the coldest summer on record for our area. Its been under 80 everyday in San Jose freezing cold near the coast.

Hi Yvonne,

 

My family lives 20 miles north in Union City. (I've lived in the Bay Area my entire life.) My wife and I have a 9 year-old daughter.

 

I have worked in product management for a large company ... but my department is being eliminated next month. :( So I am hunting for a new job.

 

aunursa what a drag when is this dang economy going to pick up. A few of our friends that had been layed off are finding jobs finally so if it had to happen hopefully you can bounce back quick. I probably don't need to tell you this but network, network.

 

As for Union City, my daughter-inlaws family live in Union City.

 

I too was born and raised in the Bay Area as was by husband. That's pretty rare these days I really love living here you can't beat the weather. I also love being able to drive to the beach in 45 minutes, Yosemite in a few hours, or sking at one of the many ski resorts within a few hours.

 

Time to get off work so have a good evening my fellow California friends.

So this is the Northern California thread nice I'm Yvonne from San Jose and boy am I happy we live in this part of the US. I'm reading post from some of our friends across the US and the weather is pretty hot out there. Nebraska friends said its 112 today and Kansas is 109. Even though it has been colder than usual its better than 100.

 

We are preparing for our next cruise to the Western Caribbean in 2 weeks. Visiting Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize and Cozumel. These are all new ports for us. Also cruising out of Miami is new too.

 

Carol the closest to Antioch we get is Discovery Bay where our son and his wife live. We love the Discovery Bay area it is so open, very different from living in such a big city as San Jose.

 

I work in the car business and my husband works as a Sr. Sales manager for a contract manufacturer. We have 4 children the youngest are 20 yr old twin boys.

 

So that's us I hope to get to know you all, there is nothing like friends that cruise together. :)

Did you see this?

 

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2009/09/articles/caribbean-islands/carnival-drops-antigua-like-a-hot-potato/

Many thanks for the Info.

When flying from Puerto Rico to Dallas do we need to go through customs?

If so how does this work do we need to retreive our luggage and also bring that through customs? I am worried about missing our connection in Dallas:confused: